Q: How much of "How to Fail" is autobiographical? We know the story behind the guitar is real; are any other parts of the story or characters rooted in reality?

A: I spent my 20s in Los Angeles trying to make it as a musician. There was a time when a Grammy Award-winning producer took a band I was in under his wing and recorded us at the Village Recorder, which is a sacred and storied studio in Los Angeles where hundreds of hit records have been recorded through the decades, from Fleetwood Mac to Snoop Dogg to Lady Gaga and beyond. Before it was a recording studio it was a monastery, and holy energy is palpable. That recording studio is a set piece of the book based on my experience of it.

Most of the characters are based on real people, but many of them are several real people condensed into one, or certain traits of one real person blown out disproportionately into a full character. Bluko has notes of a very charismatic singer I worked with. There was a guitar tech who lives in the Valley who Cash is based on. The sleazy industry types — I mean, I wouldn't name names, but throw a rock atop Laurel Canyon and you'll probably hit one.

The part of the story that is most rooted in reality for me is the roller coaster of emotion for artists in Los Angeles — how the utter loneliness and desperation of a hungry morning can turn into the most thrilling artistic high by 10 p.m. and you never know where a night will take you. Our story takes place in about 48 hours. The reality is that Los Angeles itself runs like a movie set. You wait, you ready yourself, you're bored and restless, everyone ignores you and nothing is happening, and then suddenly the universe calls "Action!" and everything changes. Life is a vivid blur.

Q: Music is a big part of this story. Was there any music in particular that you took inspiration from or that you listened to while writing?

A: So many. For the character of Alley, I have been inspired by the artist Samia, who has this really interesting intensity, intelligence and a sort of dark humor about her. What she does with her videos is super compelling, too. When "How to Fail Epically in Hollywood" becomes a series or movie or something, I'd want her vibes in that character for sure.

Q: What does Los Angeles mean to you?

A: I suppose because the earth is a sphere, anyone can say they are the center of the world and it would be hard to refute, but I think of Los Angeles as the ancient Greeks thought of Delphi, naming it the "omphalos," or navel of the world. Or at least the entertainment world. That's not necessarily an idyllic place. It's a messy middle of a place. Creativity is birth, and birth is messy. I know so many artists, myself included, who went to Los Angeles ready to put something remarkable in the world and the spirit of Hollywood beat their souls bloody until they had to call a truce — go home, recover, make some more money and come back again for round two, knowing what to expect this time. Los Angeles, to me, is for the brave and for those who are willing to sacrifice quite a lot at the altar of creativity. And it's also one of the most exciting places on Earth when you get to the "action" part.

Q: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

A: I've had excellent teachers in elementary school and in high school who encouraged me, and a couple times when they read something I wrote to the entire class, it really made an impression on me. Writing is a compulsion and an excitement, and I do feel I'm on a quest to reach something with it. But I think of it as a verb. I write. There was never a moment I thought "I'm going to be a writer," because when I'm writing I'm a writer and when I'm not, I'm a grocery shopper or a driver or something. I'm always a mom, wife, person. But I try not to make too much of an identity out of my activities. I get to be a writer when I'm writing. It's a contingent relationship, which keeps my relationship with the Muses very immediate and fresh.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

A: Pay homage to the Muses. They like it when you show up to the page a lot. If you show up every day at the same time, they'll catch on to your pattern. They'll notice you and you'll endear yourself to them. They feel disrespected by those who wait for them to do all the work, so don't worry about being inspired or knowing what you're going to write or having something to write about. Show up and put something, anything, on the page. The Muses will notice you and eventually anoint you as one of the faithful and bless you accordingly with voice and direction.

Q: Writing a book and getting it published is a long process; how do you maintain motivation to overcome any obstacles?

A: Make it a team sport. I have often lost heart when I had a lack of support and mutual interest. This book was in a drawer for more than three years until Creators Publishing offered to team up with me. Artists need each other and it's an easy thing for a writer to forget, since it's such a solitary pursuit. I just signed up for an eight-week writing class. That's a way to get the deadlines, accountability and team spirit flowing through your writing and publishing practice.

Q: Is there a chance we'll get a second "How to Fail" novel or a spinoff book?

A: I wouldn't rule it out!

Q: How do you cope with writer's block?

A: If I'm staring at a blank page, I'm either too tired and my brain needs a nap, or I haven't done enough research. Things like research (which includes gathering writing comparable to what I hope to be doing), mind-mapping, brainstorming and outlining are all essential parts of writing. If I'm stuck, it just means I need to go back to an earlier step. It also helps to come at things selfishly and with my own appetite. Instead of thinking: What should this be? What do they want? I ask: What do I wish this was? What interests, intrigues and delights me about it?

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Photo credit: MaxxGirr at Pixabay